November’s Dynasty Future Report is here. These are five players that are either on waivers or at the bottom of teams’ rosters. They haven’t produced yet this season but the pathway to them seeing opportunities next year if not late in this season is clear. You may know these names through the past few NFL drafts or through your research for your rookie drafts. Either way, they have a solid path to opportunity and can be a future piece to your franchise. Getting them shouldn’t cost more than a last-round pick in your next rookie draft or even next year’s draft. Sending a 2024 or a 2025 late pick for them might be even better as you can still recover those picks if they don’t pan out. Expectations for these players are that they can turn into solid flex players with upside.
Continuing with the bonus content this year are 5 players who are droppable in dynasty. They just don’t have a clear path to dynasty value. I’ll also mention five players who are dynasty holds. They still have value but it’s a wait-and-see how things shake out this year before we make any future moves for them. You were once high on them but it might be longer than you were expecting for them to produce.
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Matt Corral: QB, Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers have been searching for their next franchise quarterback since Cam Newton left after the 2019 season. They even brought him back in 2021 after previously traded for Sam Darnold got injured. This offseason they traded for former 1st overall pick Baker Mayfield, going into the season with the top two quarterbacks taken in 2018. The Panthers then went and drafted Matt Corral in the 3rd round of the 2022 draft.
Corral suffered a Lisfranc injury to his foot during training camp and has been on the IR ever since. He has seen Darnold hit the injury list and Baker Mayfield get injured and lose his job to PJ Walker in the meantime. Unfortunately, Corral has not been active for game days and missed a chance to play this year, but he is still with the team and learning. The good news is that all three of the other Panthers quarterbacks are in the last year of their deals in Carolina. The third round isn’t a huge amount of draft capital but we’ve seen a few NFL starters come from this range. Davis Mills, Russell Wilson, Nick Foles, and Jacoby Brissett are all 3rd round picks. The Panthers are in a hard rebuild and have shipped out players like Robbie Anderson and Christian McCaffrey. They have plenty of holes to fill and have started to acquire draft picks to fill them. They have star wide receiver D.J. Moore locked in through the 2025 season. Having Corral under center at his rookie contract would allow them to go out and sign a big-name free agent and still be under the salary cap.
Corral was in the talk as the best quarterback in the draft but was knocked down for being in a QB-friendly system. He had a good college career. He was on the roster at Oklahoma State for four years but only played 3 full seasons after red-shirting his first freshman year. He finished his college career with 57 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. Corral’s rushing upside didn’t start to emerge until his last season when he rushed for 11 touchdowns in 13 games after having only seven in his previous 24 games. He has average size for an NFL quarterback at 6’2” 205lbs. His style of play is very gutsy. He has a quick release and the confidence to make tough throws in small windows. He will have to learn to not let his confidence, which borders on cockiness, get the better of him as he adjusts to the speed and talent in the NFL. He is quick to make decisions that will benefit him in the NFL that runs a lot more RPOs, but it could hurt him if he doesn’t recognize coverages and safety disguises.
He should get a chance to start for the Panthers and be a big part of the rebuild. It’s a buyer’s market for quarterbacks in the offseason with plenty of talented names available. There will be a new coaching staff in Carolina as Matt Rhule got fired mid-season and interim coach Steve Wilks would have to make a turnaround with the team to get the job permanently. If the new coach thinks they can process Corral along and put a system in place to accentuate his strengths he could do well as the starter. At age 23 he still has some learning and maturing to do but is young enough to still learn.
Trestan Ebner: RB, Chicago Bears
The Windy City looks to be filled with the winds of change after this season. Running back David Montgomery is in the last year of his contract and it looks like second-year player Khalil Herbert is poised to take over the backfield. The Bears’ new coaching staff and front office seem to be shedding veterans both to gain draft capital but also to free up cap space. They could save some cap space by keeping the backfield to Herbert and rookie Trestan Ebner. When you combine not having a massive running back contract and having your star wide receiver Darnell Mooney and quarterback Justin Fields still on rookie deals they would have the freedom to make moves elsewhere. They have holes to fill on defense after trading away pass rusher Robert Quinn and star linebacker Roquan Smith. They could easily pick up a veteran running back which would move Ebner back down the depth chart but the youth movement and Ebner’s play so far will keep him on the roster.
Ebner was a backup throughout his college career at Baylor. He played behind Charlie Brewer, JaMycal Hasty, John Lovett, and Abram Smith. Only Hasty is currently in the NFL, with the Jaguars, so it doesn’t look great that he couldn’t beat any of them for the starting job through his five years. He only complied 343 carries for 1690 yards and nine touchdowns. He did add 127 receptions for 11 touchdowns and 1515 yards. He is a swiss army knife-type player at 5’11” and 206 lbs. He impressed at the combine running a 4.43 40, returned both kickoffs and punts in college, and could do that in the NFL if needed. His size and speed make him the potential 3rd down back going forward with the ability to outrun linebackers and muscle through safeties. Watching game film he seemed to lack the shiftiness and cutting that top-level backs have but can hit a hole hard and power through arm tackles. On the outside, he doesn’t always see the holes or where his blocks will open up space but has the speed to gain the corner and get positive yards on plays.
Ebner is already getting work in the Chicago backfield this season and is someone the current coaching staff selected in the 6th round of the draft. He will never be the starter for Chicago without an injury but his pass-catching work could keep him fantasy relevant, especially in PPR leagues. He can be in conversation with guys like J.D. McKissic and Nyheim Hines. We have already seen it this season. In Week 4 when Montgomery missed the game, Herbert was the starter but Ebner saw six carries and three targets. He did fumble the ball twice and he will have to improve on that. His pass blocking also needs some work but is serviceable enough especially if he is running more routes than blocking.
Hassan Haskins: RB, Tennessee Titans
Hassan Haskins was a productive college rusher at Michigan mainly in his senior year in 2021 where he played as the lead He only played in six games the year before. Over his college career, he accumulated 30 rushing touchdowns with 20 of them coming in his final season. He doesn’t offer any real pass-catching upside, catching just 24 passes for 171 yards over 3 years. He is a big back at 6’2” and 228 lbs. He has a more punishing style of running and didn’t show a ton of cuts and open-field running that excites GMs and fantasy managers. The Titans drafted him in the 4th round of the 2022 NFL draft, and his rushing style is to follow and set up his blocks and use his stiff arm very well. He seems to get better as the game goes on as he continues to get work and wear down the defense. Even with his size, you can see on game film that he can fit into small holes on inside runs and then uses his size to bull over linebackers and safety. He doesn’t cut or make players miss when heading into them one on one in the open field. He isn’t running away from anyone and didn’t run a 40 at either the combine or Michigan pro day. His game isn’t built on speed but rather size and power. He takes contact so his body will have to hold up to that level of punishment in the NFL. Given his limited work in college, there isn’t too much wear coming in.
Haskins joined the Titans as the backup to rushers Derrick Henry and Dontrell Hilliard. Haskins and Henry have the same style of running and are similar in size. It’s a great fit as the Titans look to retool their offense. The Titans also drafted quarterback Malik Willis in the 3rd round to be the air apparent to Ryan Tannehill. Combine that with 1st round pick Treylon Burks, and Tennesee could have three young players at key skill positions. Both Henry and Tannehill are going to be free agents after the 2023 season, and Henry will be just over 30 at that time with over 1500 carries in his career. The wear and tear are already adding up. Henry only played 8 games in 2021. The Titans are used to being in the playoffs and have won their division in 2021 and 2020. They were the top seed in the AFC in 2021. They have spent significant draft capital over the years into their offensive line to support a rusher like Henry and that can continue with Haskins. They have 3 starters on the offensive line set to be free agents after this season. They will have to invest some cap space to secure their O line for both their rushers and their quarterback. The Titans would still have to roster a third-down back to handle the pass-catching work unless Haskins can significantly improve in that area. Henry will still be on the team for the 2023 season but after that, it seems like it could be Haskin’s backfield for the future.
Cole Turner: TE, Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders are in flux. They hired Ron Rivera to be the coach back in 2020 and despite not having a season with a winning record he did win the NFC East division in his first year. He now has a team with some young talent and a ton of potential. They seemed to have missed with signing quarterback Carson Wentz but things are working out for rookie wideout Jahan Dotson and oft-injured receiver Curtis Samuel. The team’s ownership is now in question as Dan Snyder is looking at options for possibly selling the team. The turnover on the team could mean that some other changes are coming. One of them could be at the tight end position.
Veteran Logan Thomas has played well over his tenure with the Commanders but has missed a bunch of games due to injuries. He has a contract through the 2024 season but there is an opt-out after this season that would save the team 12 million over two years and only be a 3.5 million dead cap hit. It would seem that the Commanders could move on from him and allow current rookie Cole Turner to step into the starting job. The Commanders don’t have a lot of priority free agents currently on the team so they could spend and the tight end could be an area they address but Turner should be enough for them or at least see the field even with another man on the roster.
Turner would compete with John Bates in this scenario. The two young tight ends are both capable of being the starter but there are a lot of reasons to see Turner being the lead dog.
| Draft Round | College Games | Receiving yards | Touchdowns | |
| Turner | 5th | 26 | 1370 | 20 |
| Bates | 4th | 23 | 579 | 2 |
It’s clear that Turner was the better college athlete. Both he and Bates are 6’6” while Bates weighed in at 260 lbs and Turner at 240 lbs. Bates ran a 4.80 40 time while Turner came in at 4.76. Neither of them has blazing speed but you wouldn’t expect that from such big men. The college production disparity just stands out. What’s even more telling is that 19 of Turner’s touchdowns came in his final two years. In his first two seasons, he only played six games for Nevada. He was originally a wide receiver so he projects as someone who can split outside and will probably need to work on his blocking or be in the right scheme. He has good ball tracking and contested-catch skills. He could stand to bulk up and become a player who can use his strength as well as his skills and size to make plays.
Being currently third on the depth chart he has gotten a lot of practice time with the second team which is run by fellow rookie Sam Howell, who projects to be the starter in 2023 and was featured in October’s report. That chemistry and opportunity combined with his skill level as a receiver is a recipe for a good tight end. In fantasy, there are only a few top-tier ones. I don’t expect Turner to reach that level but could separate himself and rise to the top of the tier two group.
Isaiah Hodgins: WR, New York Giants
The New York Giants have so far had a magical 2022 season. They sit at 7-2 through 10 weeks. They have done it on the legs of Saquon Barkley, though quarterback Daniel Jones has played admirably considering his weapons. Despite coming into the season with a roster of Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Wan’Dale Robinson, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton, Jones only has six passing touchdowns on the season. Toney has been traded, Shepard is injured and Golladay looks like he doesn’t want to be in New York anymore. The rest of the roster consists of Richie James, David Sills, and Marcus Johnson. Next season something has to change. The Giants will be facing some tough choices in free agency. Barkley and Jones are free agents as well as Slayton, Shepard, Johnson, Sills, and James. They have 16 other players on the roster slated to be free agents. That many may lead to them rolling with adding a receiver in the draft to line up opposite Robinson and then rely on Isaiah Hodgins. The Giants under Daboll have a plan that goes past this year and already looks to be paying dividends.
Hodgins was just claimed off waivers after being on the Buffalo Bills roster the past two seasons. He couldn’t crack the roster in Buffalo which was filled with plenty of good receivers. He now joins the Giants and his former coach Brian Daboll. Hodgins was an early declare coming into the draft after playing only three years at Oregon State. He had a slow start to his college production having only 90 receptions and seven touchdowns in two years. He then erupted in 2019 with 86 receptions for 1171 yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s 6’3” almost 6’4” and just over 200 lbs. He only ran a 4.61 40 time. Not overly fast but he has great ball skills and size to get contested catches. He’s not going to outrun corners with his speed but has the size and great hands that can be used on shorter routes. He will be a solid possession receiver who could rack up targets and receptions. He will have the opportunity to get used to the team this season. He will have to be consistent with his routes and find space on the field to get looks from Jones. Daboll’s familiarity with him made him a quick waiver claim when the Bills cut him and the lack of other wide receivers producing on the Giants might give him an opportunity now. If he can be productive the Giants may wait on drafting a wide receiver till later in the draft and include Hodgins in their future plans.
5 Cut Candidates
Trey Sermon- RB, Philadelphia Eagles
On his second team that is run heavy and has been a healthy scratch.
Darrynton Evans- RB, Chicago Bears
On his second team and not seeing playing time.
KaVontae Turpin- WR, Dallas Cowboys
Too many WR signed to contracts in front of him. Team is rumored to be looking for a WR.
Mike Strachan-WR, Indianapolis Colts
Often injured and barely sees the field when he is healthy.
Tyler Johnson- WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cut by TB, cut by HOU, now on TB practice squad.
5 Hold Candidates
Velus Jones
Missed the early season with an injury but has seen increased playing time.
D’Wayne (Dee) Eskridge
Potential to step into the WR3 role and possibly a new QB next season.
Tutu Atwell
The team’s offense can support 3 or 4 wide receivers.
Kylen Granson
Has shown flashes this season. Playing plenty of snaps and running routes.
Albert Okwuegbunam- TE, Denver Broncos
Still has size and skills just needs a new system.
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by Fred Kfoury III / Icon Sportswire